....continued

My garden is doing great, though I had to bid adieu to my carrots and beets. They never grew. I left a few carrots in that seem to be growing, albeit slowly, but dug up the rest and planted cilantro in their spot. I also replanted my lettuce which never grew at all. I replaced my basil plants that had been stunned by the cold snap we had. Aunt Margaret gave me some artichoke starts and I planted those. I don't know if I'll eat them or just let them flower. They make gorgeous flowers! My parsley continues its quest for world domination, and my tomatoes are flowering like crazy. Woo!

Artichokes


Mon jardin


On Tuesday we visited my friend April and new baby Garrison! Oh he's a cutie. I do not believe that my kids were ever that small, but they were. He has big hands and feet... they are almost the same size as Elly's. I think its possible that he could outpace Elly in size in a years time :)


Elsa loved him. She just wanted to pat and pinch him and sit on him.


The face just yells trouble


After we left Aprils, we stopped at home and picked up Jason, then headed out to Mom's house to try and stay cool. Its been HOT the last few days. Much too hot for June. Mom and Dad got a pool for the kids to play in and they love it.


Elsa in her bathing attire. I think its terrifically cute.


Wednesday, we headed to Willis D. Tucker park to play on the spray pad. My friend Heather and her kids Max (Gwen attended pre-school with him) and Gracie came, and we also ran into one of April's friends Beth. It was a very hot day, but the kids had a blast.

Ethan is in the orange shorts


We had April's son Gibson with us and that was fun too, though I perhaps underestimated the amount of effort required to keep tabs on 3 kids as they run from the spray pad to the playground and to the sandbox, while still tending to a 1 year old AND try to talk to your friend a little. Whew! But it was all good.

Gibson is in the red


Gibson is a great sharer and him and Elly get along so well. They find each other entertaining. Here they were sharing a snack of popcorn and having a little conversation. Well, he talked and she listened and smiled :)


Elly knows how to live the high life. Kickin' back in a stroller, sipping bottle of milk, checking out the view. Life is sweet.


Today is another hot day and we escaped during the early part to have our long overdue weekly Thursday visit at my Mom's house. Grammy, Aunt Margaret and Aunt Deanne were all there and the kids played in the pool some more in the hot hot sun. They were utterly exhausted. Know how I could tell? This is what they looked like when I got home.


So, remember how I mentioned in my previous post regarding the rumors about Jason being laid off? Well, he was given notice today that it was impending. However, he was offered a relocation package to Cincinnati. We have until July 2nd to decide. Regardless of our decision, his last day is August 28th. This is a huge answer to prayer... we had been very concerned that the layoff might be immediate or within a week or two, giving him no time at all to find another job. He'd been looking since the rumors started flying, but the job market is sluggish and often the interview process can take 3-4 weeks! If he stays through the 28th, he would get a 6 week severance package, his remaining vacation time cashed out, and a bonus for staying until the end. Another answer to prayer... if he cannot find a job by the end of August, the severance and bonus, plus what we have saved up, would last us another 3-4 months. Maybe longer if we really cracked down. While we are really sad that he is losing a very good job and has to go through the stressful and difficult task of finding a job, we feel so fortunate to have these options. I know J is still stressed, but I feel as if some of the stress has been lifted off my shoulders and my jittery jangly nerves are settling a little.